


I Am The Law

by hobbleit



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Assault, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Javert being an awesome inspector
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-09-20
Packaged: 2018-02-18 03:59:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2334479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbleit/pseuds/hobbleit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras is attacked and Javert is assigned to investigate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Am The Law

**Author's Note:**

> For the Spin Hugo Spin meme promt: Javert can be a prejudice, narrow-minded, inflexible douchecanoe to be sure, but he's also rigidly dedicated to following the law. So how about a story where he definitely is not overly fond of the Amis, since they make his life very difficult, but technically they haven't broken any laws.  
> Then A Crime Happens to one of them. I don't care what - an mugging, an assault, a rape, whatever, but it was something very upsetting. However, when they go to report the crime, Javert is the only available officer. They're worried he's going to cast them off or something because obviously he has no reason to have warm feelings about them, but instead he goes very intensive "this grave injustice will be solved" (and comforting to the person who was hurt)
> 
> Hope this is ok, I've never written Javert before.

Les Amis de l'ABC were the bane of Inspector Javert's existence.  Their protests often ended on the verge of riots with casualties galore but he couldn't do anything about it.  They were doing nothing illegal, many even believed their cause was justified but all Javert wanted to do was arrest them and throw them in jail where they could cause no more trouble.  They were nuisances of the highest order and he was sick and tired of having to deal with them on an almost daily basis.

 

The leader, Enjolras, was the worst of them.  They were all highly educated but Enjolras had reached another level.  He was slippery and there was nothing Javert could do to make any charges stick.  Every time he was arrested Enjolras would make a sarcastic comment with a twinkle in his eye because he knew he would be free by the next morning.  Javert wanted nothing more than to put him in his place and see that knowing smirk wiped off his face.

 

He was surprised, therefore, when he was summoned to the hospital to speak to a victim of an assault and that victim just happened to be the troublemaker, Enjolras.  He had not expected that, not in a million years, but he had been the only inspector available and even if he wanted to hand it over to someone else there was no-one else there to deal with it.

 

Enjolras visibly flinched when he saw Javert enter.  It was obvious that he had not expected the Inspector to be the one handling his case and he was not happy about this development. 

 

The assailants had really done a number on the young man.  A black bruise was beginning to form around his right eye, taking up half of the one side of his face.  His lip was split and bloody and he held himself as if he had broken ribs.  The crowning glory, so to speak however, was the head wound.  His hair had been stained red by the gash on his head currently covered by a white cotton pad.  The part of his face not bruised was as white as the pillow he was currently leaning against and his eyes, although annoyed at Javert's presence, were slightly unfocused.  The doctor had said he had a suspected concussion.

 

"Why are you here?"  Enjolras groaned, his voice low and weak.  "You're not going to arrest me are you?"

 

"I've come for a statement," Javert gruffly responded.  "You were attacked and I intend to use the full powers of the law in order to catch them.  In order to do that I need a statement from you."

 

"I know I was attacked," Enjolras replied with a note of sarcasm evident in his voice.  "I was there.  I witnessed the whole thing."

 

Javert opened his mouth to retort but he noticed that Enjolras was shaking.  He was trying his best to hide it but there was really no way to conceal the tremble of his hands.  The assault had seriously scared the young man, because that was all he was at the end of the day.  He was a terrified child no matter how little he wanted Javert to see it.

 

Enjolras hated Javert and everything he stood for.  Javert couldn't see the bigger picture in the young man's opinion and his rigid inflexibility on every matter angered him.  Javert could only see the world in black and white, in terms of right and wrong and there were no shades of grey in his world.  As scared as he was and as much as he wanted the people who had done this arrested he didn't want to have to deal with this prejudiced, rigid and narrow minded inspector.

 

Which was why he was surprised when Javert sat down on the chair next to him.  He looked at the inspector and saw a steely determination in his eyes, the same look he got whenever he had arrested Enjolras.  He meant business.

 

"Tell me what happened."

 

Enjolras took a deep breath.  "I was walking home and I was jumped."

 

"How many were there?"  Javert asked as he made notes.

 

"Eight," Enjolras told him.  "Two of them had metal pipes, they hit me and demanded I hand them my wallet.  I tried to fight back but they hit me again.  Then someone showed up and they ran."

 

"Did you recognise any of them?"

 

"I've seen them around but I don't know any of their names.  They're just kids."

 

"They are criminals," Javert replied. "Is there anything else you can recall?  What were they wearing?"

 

"Just regular clothes; jeans and hoodies, they weren't hiding their faces or anything."

 

"But if they were caught you would be able to identify them?"  Enjolras nodded in response.  "Good, I will see to it immediately that these youths are arrested."

 

Enjolras could not deny that he was surprised by the inspector and his determination to catch his attackers.  When he has seen Javert enter the hospital room his heart had sank because he had been certain that the inspector would simply brush it off because he didn't like Enjolras.

 

"Why are you helping?"  Enjolras asked in a small voice.  He was still shaken from his attack and the distress was evident in his voice.  "You've never shown me any understanding in the past."

 

Javert stood up and tucked his notebook back into the pocket of his uniform.  "A crime has been committed and it is my duty to arrest them and see that they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

 

"I don't understand.  I cause you nothing but trouble, by all rights you should be walking out of here and doing nothing but you seem determined to catch them.  Why?"

 

"Like I said, they committed a crime and they must be punished for that.  It doesn't mean that I agree with your particular political views or your insistence on making those views known at every available opportunity.  It also doesn't mean that I won't find an adequate reason to arrest you in the future but at this present moment this case takes precedence so I will do my utmost to see if solved."

 

"I don't think I will ever understand you, Inspector Javert," Enjolras told him.  "And I believe you feel the same way too."

 

Javert opened his mouth to reply but he was interrupted by the arrival of one of Enjolras' friends, Combeferre he believed his name was. 

 

"Are you all right?"  He asked Enjolras, concern lacing his voice.  He hurried over to his friend and gently wrapped an arm around the injured man.  Enjolras buried his head in Combeferre's shoulder and finally let out all of the emotions that he had been keeping inside since he had been brought to the hospital.  Knowing that he was interrupting a private moment, Javert slipped away unnoticed.

 

"They attacked me," Enjolras replied through the tears.  "The doctor says I have a concussion."

 

"I'm not surprised," Combeferre smiled gently at his friend.  "It looks as though they got you good.  Have the doctors stitched you up?"

 

"Eleven staples," Enjolras told him.  "It really hurts," he cried, not used to feeling this emotionally exposed.  He was just glad it was Combeferre he was breaking down in front of and not a stranger.  "When can I go home?"

 

"I'll find out for you."

 

-x-

 

Three days later Javert found himself stood in the living room of Enjolras' apartment whilst the younger man shuffled over to the sofa.  "Have you any information, Inspector?"  Combeferre asked as he helped Enjolras lower himself onto the sofa.

 

"I have arrested three people I believe to be connected to your attack I only need you to make a formal identification.  Do you think you could make it to the station to do so?"

 

Javert had found the youths lurking in an alleyway with Enjolras’ wallet on them and he had arrested them on the spot.  Enjolras had been right, they were just children; hardly older than sixteen, but in Javert’s eyes they had broken the law and as a result they had to be punished.  He wasn’t going to let any of them get away with it.

 

Enjolras gave a hesitant nod.  The attack had greatly distressed him and he had not left the apartment since he had returned home.  The thought of going out frightened him.

 

"Do you want me to come with you?"  Combeferre asked and Enjolras nodded.

 

"I would like that."

 

"Thank you Inspector for going to so much trouble," Enjolras told Javert.

 

"I am just doing my job."

 

"Nevertheless, I didn't expect you to and I am grateful.  I just hope that after this things go back to the way they were and you're arresting me for disturbing the peace again," Enjolras gave a weak smile.  "Then I'll know I'm better."

 

Javert looked slightly uncomfortable.  "Come on now, Enj, leave him alone," Combeferre chastised.  "Stop teasing him."

 

"I'm sorry," Enjolras turned to Javert.  "I know that you are rigid and inflexible and that you never see the shades of grey.  Everything is black or white with you but you are good at your job.  I'm never going to agree with you and your worldview but I will concede that you are good at catching criminals, even if you are a bit heavy handed."

 

"Well, I must be going," Javert said, not knowing what to say.  "Arrange a time to come down to the station for the identification," he said.

 

Things would go back to normal.  Enjolras would recover and go back to protesting on the streets and those protests would turn violent and Javert would inevitably arrest him once again but for the moment he was grateful that Javert was investigating his case.  The past few days he had been greatly comforted in the knowledge that he was working tirelessly to help him even when the inspector could have just ignored him.  He’d have every right to do so after all.

 

“I will do,” Enjolras nodded.  “And I mean it, thank you.  I am very grateful for your assistance.”  Javert simply nodded back, a moment of understanding between the two, and a moment later he was gone.

 

 

 


End file.
